Otis Gibbs is a man in search of an honest experience. Gibbs is often referred to as a folk artist, but that is a simplistic way to describe a man who has planted over 7,000 trees, slept in hobo jungles, walked with nomadic shepherds in Romania, was a fifth grade yo-yo champion and once wrestled a bear (and lost).
Session Americana sit tightly around a small round cafe table, ambient mics tuned to catch the complete sound of the voices and instruments. A suitcase drum kit, an old electric bass, a field organ and a collection of acoustic instruments.
A weekly Sunday night event held in the upstairs venue of Whelans, concentrating on a mix of underground electronic music with some throwback classics and future favourites. As 2013 gets into the swing of things Sonntags is gearing towards showcasing the city’s best djs along with sourcing the finest international acts for like minded Sunday revellers who don’t want to finish their weekend so early whether you want to simply chill and talk nonsense in the heated smoking area or get your boogie on inside..
Curated each week by 2 DJ’s breevil and Basic Tone to create that Sunday vibe and party atmosphere that is expected to top off the best of weekends.
Formed in late 2011 as an acoustic trio, In The Willows has since grown to a six piece folk band that has established themselves as one of the best upcoming bands in the country.
Lund Quartet are an instrumental band from Bristol. Five years in the making,their unique approach to music blends the space of the Scandinavian Jazz scene with the creative opportunities of subtle turntablism.
This Whelan’s gig marks the debut gig of northside Dublin act, Workhouse Brides. Stemming from previous band incarnations, the three-piece have been based in their rehearsal room in Dublin 3 for many months progressively working on their specific brand of original music.
Their first recording, ‘Trial By Fire’, introduced the band with a pounding drum beat, grizzly guitar lines, staccato vocals and ambiguous lyrics. The song’s video features an interesting tip of the cap to Scorsese, Keitel and DeNiro.
Workhouse Brides are most likely the loudest band in Dublin without a bass player. Their influences include red wine and beer.
The Choir Invisible are a four-piece pop band in Dublin. With shades of ’60s French pop, jangly indie melody, shoegaze noise and the occasional suit, they’ve spent the past year making a name for themselves on the Irish live scene, as well as playing in the UK. Their singles have been spotted in Tokyo record shops, and have received occasional accolades from strange French websites.
They sing about escape and fantasy, about ticking time and about fast drives by clueless drivers at unreasonable hours. They have been featured on Dublin City FM, and a host of online radio shows and blogs. They sound like a dinner party in a bedsit with David Lynch.
Having released their debut EP Hundreds and Thousands in November 2012, they’re currently readying a new single and playing a few select gigs before the end of summer: catch them in Sweeney’s on August 2nd and co-headlining Upstairs at Whelan’s on August 15th with Workhouse Brides.
“Highly promising” – Irish Times
TICKETS
€6 on the door
Strictly over 18’s, I.D. may be required.
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Indie Club /// ZEBRA /// [Live Bands and guest DJs] w/ Late Bar from 10:30pm (Free entry before 10:30pm).
Trevor Powers, whose stage name is Youth Lagoon, began writing his debut album The Year of Hibernation in 2010. Based around the idea of psychological dysphoria, Powers tried to document the trails of his mind through songs of minimalism and hypnotic ambiance.
After a two-year hiatus from the live circuit, British folk band Johnny Flynn and The Sussex Wit announce an October headline tour, which includes a date at Whelan’s, Dublin on Wednesday 16th October.
‘Fiach Moriarty is one of Ireland’s most talented singer-songwriters with a musical sophistication rare in the genre’ – Paul Brady
‘A real music man with an openness and bravery I rarely hear, when I hear Fiach I enjoy every note’ – Eddi Reader
‘So I is a debut album of depth and courage, guile and wit’ – Irish Times
‘Instrumentally as well as vocally, So I is exceptionally resonant and richly textured with strings bringing a sense of the sublime to several tracks. Wonderful!’ – Hot Press
TICKETS
€5 on the door
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required.
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Indie Club /// ZEBRA /// [Live Bands and guest DJs] w/ Late Bar from 10:30pm (Free entry before 10:30pm).
One of the most exciting bands to emerge from the US in some time, PARQUET COURTS play Whelan’s on October 14th. Tickets priced at €16.50 including booking fee go on sale tomorrow morning at 9am from Ticketmaster.
A busy 2013 sees Nick on a major UK solo tour in support of his 8th studio album ‘Riven’. An epic recording with legendary producer Tchad Blake at the helm. Nick has also found time to play on new recordings with Lana Del Rey, Newton Faulkner and Steven Wilson this year
After two years touring with their van in France, Germany and Ireland ; nine months living together in their home studio in Macroom, Co. Cork; and a three-year break ; the musicians of French band Txütxükan are back in Ireland in August for a tour to present their new album ‘Surf the river Lee’, a 10 track album with only original music !
We are very happy to announce the 2nd Annual Jack of Diamonds Rhythm & Roots Festiva Aug 16 – 18 2013!
So polish up yisser dancin’ shoes and come join us for the most hoppin roots weekend in the city!!!! We got over 100 acts across 13 venues all for FREE!!!
CLICK FOR LARGER VERSION:
I DRAW SLOW
THE HOT SPROCKETS
PRISON LOVE
THE ESKIES
THE CUJO FAMILY
GAVIN GLASS
LOUIS BARABBAS AND THE BEDLAM SIX
NIWEL TSUMBU
ROSS BREEN
GYPSY REBEL RABBLE
NORTH STRAND KONTRA BAND
CONOR LINNIE
NC LAWLOR
JOHN BLEK AND THE RATS
SARAH RED
THE URGES
CROW BLACK CHICKEN
GREASY COAT STRING BAND
WYVERN LINGO
BLIND YACKETY
ARROW IN THE SKY
LARKFIELD FOUR THE ROCKETS
ORCHID COLLECTIVE
THE RAGMEN
RUFUS COATES AND THE BLACKENED TREES
HOZIER
THE BOO BOX
SAUCY JACK AND THE BANG BANG BAND
WELL ENOUGH ALONE
THE VIKING PROJECT
RIVER VALLEY BAND
THE ANNULMENTS
THE FITZAFRENIC
LYNCHED
SAILS
CONOR WHITETRASH AND THE SPARRAWHAWKS
LIGHTS CAMERA SUNDOWN
ZASKA
MY FELLOW SPONGES
MICKEY AND THE SCALLYWAGS
OLD HANNAH
THE BOG FROGS
THE LIGHTNING KIDS
MILK AND HONEY
HUMALAYA
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!
Whelans, The Workmans, The Grand Social, The Button Factory, Sweeney Mongrel, The Mercantile, The Garage Bar & more to be announced
TICKETS
FREE ENTRY
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required.
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Indie Club w/ Late Bar from 10:30pm or check out the bands playing The Midnight Hour in the upstairs venue (FREE ENTRY, 12am).
We are very happy to announce the 2nd Annual Jack of Diamonds Rhythm & Roots Festiva Aug 16 – 18 2013!
So polish up yisser dancin’ shoes and come join us for the most hoppin roots weekend in the city!!!! We got over 100 acts across 13 venues all for FREE!!!
CLICK FOR LARGER VERSION OF TIMETABLE:
I DRAW SLOW
THE HOT SPROCKETS
PRISON LOVE
THE ESKIES
THE CUJO FAMILY
GAVIN GLASS
LOUIS BARABBAS AND THE BEDLAM SIX
NIWEL TSUMBU
ROSS BREEN
GYPSY REBEL RABBLE
NORTH STRAND KONTRA BAND
CONOR LINNIE
NC LAWLOR
JOHN BLEK AND THE RATS
SARAH RED
THE URGES
CROW BLACK CHICKEN
GREASY COAT STRING BAND
WYVERN LINGO
BLIND YACKETY
ARROW IN THE SKY
LARKFIELD FOUR THE ROCKETS
ORCHID COLLECTIVE
THE RAGMEN
RUFUS COATES AND THE BLACKENED TREES
HOZIER
THE BOO BOX
SAUCY JACK AND THE BANG BANG BAND
WELL ENOUGH ALONE
THE VIKING PROJECT
RIVER VALLEY BAND
THE ANNULMENTS
THE FITZAFRENIC
LYNCHED
SAILS
CONOR WHITETRASH AND THE SPARRAWHAWKS
LIGHTS CAMERA SUNDOWN
ZASKA
MY FELLOW SPONGES
MICKEY AND THE SCALLYWAGS
OLD HANNAH
THE BOG FROGS
THE LIGHTNING KIDS
MILK AND HONEY
HUMALAYA
MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED SOON!
Whelans, The Workmans, The Grand Social, The Button Factory, Sweeney Mongrel, The Mercantile, The Garage Bar & more to be announced
TICKETS
FREE ENTRY
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required.
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Indie Club w/ Late Bar from 10:30pm or check out the bands playing The Midnight Hour in the upstairs venue (FREE ENTRY, 12am).
The Bridges Of Madison County is a band comprised of members of The Jimmy Cake, Hooray For Humans, Hands Up Who Wants To Die and Sylvan. They could be described as Scruff Pop, Wonk Pop, Noise Pop or clumsy neanderthals tripping over their own feet on stage but never Pop Punk or Math Pop because that would be shit.
Having established a gruesome forfeiture system to impose discipline, :Hounds: were able to reach an acceptable level of musical understanding in only 5 short years.
With the foundation of their throbbing, riff-laden power in place, bass player Gavin was able to take a 6 month sabbatical to lurk in a canoe.
Drummer Brian (hired primarily for his ability to scare bulies) regularly fights man-sized chickens for money, although he has yet to be paid.
If bespectacled rage-made-flesh singer/guitarist Allen were an animal, he’d be an animal.
Reclusive singer/guitarist Peter is currently recovering in a maximum security old folks’ home from an addiction to rum and piracy.
Frustrated pastry chefs by day, they convene at their roadside rehearsal room at dusk to shout at strangers and argue in Klingon. By room I of course mean caravan.
Recalling early Soundgarden if they had replaced Chris Cornell with Dimebag Darrell, started playing Melvins covers and scavenging in bins for sustenance, :Hounds: truly believe that their riffs can actually melt faces. In real life.
TICKETS
FREE before 10:30pm, Club entry applies after 10:30pm (Thur/Fri/Sat)
‘Chris Woods is one of the UK’s most exciting instrumentalists. His performances are a blend of endearing stories with ear bending drop tuned grooves. Displaying dazzling creativity and skill, by mixing emotive and imaginative sounds with stunning technique. You wont forget what you hear.’
German label TONETOASTER RECORDS is celebrating its 5th birthday upstairs in Whelans!
Having worked with Irish bands like The Mighty Stef, The Last Tycoons and many more in the past 5 years, releasing their albums and booking shows in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, Tonetoaster is doing a very special show in Dublin for the first time.
“We did a similar concert in my hometown Langenberg, Germany in April to celebrate the labels birthday” says Michael Langewender who manages Tonetoaster, “it was quite successful and then had this crazy idea to do a night in Dublin as well!”
The label is now presenting four of their artists on stage:
GORDON REEVES (Dublin)
Irish folksman Gordon Reeves is a globetrotter who likes to „come home after work with my hands full of mud.” He indeed is as faithfully and gently as you can hear it in his songs. His style somewhere between Paul Simon, Bob Dylan and Bob Marley, Gordon is a singer/songwriter who takes his songs voicefully and straight out to the audience. Gordon has been the very first artist, that Tonetoaster signed back in 2008.
Marc O’Reilly is being acclaimed as the new sensation of Irish acoustic roots music. His debut album ‘My Friend Marx’ was included in many ‘Best of 2012’ lists and his spellbinding guitar playing and emotive vocals are making him a must see live performer.
Knoxville Morning began life as a solo side-project of Band on an Island’s Ciaran Dwyer, before in time, growing into something far bigger with getting more and more people involved. Mixing folk with Americana sounds, the band got on Hot Press Magazines “Ones to watch for 2013” list after releasing their fine debut album at the end of 2012.
Since forming in the spring of 2010, Ghost Estates have gained a reputation as one of the most
exciting acts in the country.Following the release of their debut album in June of 2012,the band have gone from strength to strength.Their songs cover a wide spectrum of influences,that come together and create a sound that is all their own.
€9 adv / €10 door
Advanced tickets are available online from WAV Tickets [Lo-Call 1890 200 078] (50c per ticket service charge applies on phone, internet or creditcard bookings)
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required.
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Indie Club w/ Late Bar from 10:30pm or check out the bands playing The Midnight Hour in the upstairs venue (FREE ENTRY, 12am).
No surprises? Well, not quite. Tradiohead take the songs of Radiohead and re-imagine them using instruments more often associated with Irish traditional music. Tradiohead are Jimi McDonnell on vocals, Philip Fogarty on accordion and bodhrán, Pat Hargan on guitar and Michael Chang on violin, viola and mandolin.
What started out as a pun soon turned into a re-working of some of the most lauded songs in popular music. Occupy Oxford, if you will. The unlikely meeting of Radiohead and some gems from the Irish trad catalogue now has a name: Tradiohead
TICKETS
€8 available online from WAV Tickets [Lo-Call 1890 200 078] (50c per ticket service charge applies on phone or creditcard bookings)
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required.
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Indie Club /// ZEBRA /// [Live Bands and guest DJs] w/ Late Bar from 10:30pm (Free entry before 10:30pm).
Ben Caplan has announced details of an exclusive intimate headline performance Upstairs At Whelan’s on 30 July 2013
Tickets priced €10 inclusive of booking fee are on sale now from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide and www.ticketmaster.ie
————
Rugged, raspy, and roaring with charisma. Halifax’s Ben Caplan is to folklore, what smoke is to bourbon. Perfectly coupled. Ben’s songwriting is bold in both range and ferocity. Fuelled by a quality of melodrama and powerful lyricism, the romance and bravery in his voice gives Caplan a truly innovative and experimental artistry. A sound that bridges the gap between controlled composition and unruly passion.
Caplan has marked his place in the Canadian music landscape with a growling spirit similar to that of Tom Waits. Sometimes joined by his band, The Casual Smokers, Ben strides in pace with gypsy-inspired strings delicately blended with the sultry tones of clarinet and saxophone. Caplan’s tours have extended throughout the Commonwealth, and with the rhapsodic energy of his live show it is no wonder that his elegant cacophony is gaining attention around the world. Breaking between guitar, banjo, piano, and melodica, Caplan’s stage show is almost reminiscent of a burly and bearded Freddy Mercury; a raging, strong, and exploratory songwriter, it’s the blues in his soul and the heart in your chest pounding in sync that makes Ben Caplan an unmissable act.
The music of Ben Caplan is diverse, ranging from poetic ballads to frenetic gypsy anthems. But even when the band delivers the roughest of bar room stomps, there is a surprising depth and musicianship to the songs. Expressive percussion, upright bass, violin, sax, clarinet, flute, and terrific use of call and response sing-along choruses all help Caplan stand out from the masses.
TICKETS
€10 available online from WAV Tickets [Lo-Call 1890 200 078] (50c per ticket service charge applies on phone, internet or creditcard bookings)
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required.
Skippers Alley are launching their recently recorded EP in Whelan’s on July 29th. They are heading off to Lorient a few days later so this’ll be a great warm-up.
“…he has the curly mop and wide eyes of an overgrown five-year-old. But it is more than that: his whole performance is built on wrong-footing his audience, in ways that make us laugh, then shock us into rapt attention.” – The Guardian ****
Greg Clifford is a talented, multi-instrumentalist from Dublin. Clifford’s style is an amalgamation of singer songwriter with rock, blues, jazz and folk. Clifford also provides us with astute chamber orchestra arrangements.
A weekly Sunday night event held in the upstairs venue of Whelans, concentrating on a mix of underground electronic music with some throwback classics and future favourites. As 2013 gets into the swing of things Sonntags is gearing towards showcasing the city’s best djs along with sourcing the finest international acts for like minded Sunday revellers who don’t want to finish their weekend so early whether you want to simply chill and talk nonsense in the heated smoking area or get your boogie on inside..
Curated each week by 2 DJ’s breevil and Basic Tone to create that Sunday vibe and party atmosphere that is expected to top off the best of weekends.
“The ghostly emotional wallop of the tunes will take your breath away”
The Irish Times ****
“Startlingly good debut album….a record that nestles beautifully at the point where the digital and analogue worlds collide”
The Skinny *****
Seamus Fogarty grew up in the west of Ireland and spent his early years writing songs about mountains that steal t-shirts, women who look like dinosaurs and various other unfortunate incidents. Now based in London, he released his debut album God Damn You Mountain on revered Scottish indie label Fence Records last year. A collection of stripped-back songs and field recordings underpinned by layers of subtle electronics, the album led to a number of high-profile shows in 2012 including performances alongside King Creosote and Jon Hopkins at Vicar Street and slots at the Electric Picnic and on the main stage of The Green Man Festival in Wales.
2013 has seen Seamus undertake two extensive UK tours, first with fellow Fence Collective members James Yorkston and The Pictish Trail, followed by a 10 date solo tour with Malcolm Middleton (Arab Strap). He recorded an EP of new material to take on tour and his remix of the James Yorkston track Kath With Rhodes was released on Domino Records in April. He also got a haircut, went on a short holiday and designed a t-shirt.
TICKETS
€10 available online from WAV Tickets [Lo-Call 1890 200 078] (50c per ticket service charge applies on phone, internet or creditcard bookings)
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Silent Disco from 11pm – 2 DJs, just pick the one you like best [Free before 11:30pm, €5 after] plus Late Bar.
plus guestLOUISE DISTRAS
Michael McColgan: Lead Vocals
John Rioux: Bass Guitar
Marcus Hollar: Guitar
Lenny Lashley: Guitar
Pete Sosa: Drums
“We can speak of riots and petrol bombs and revolutions all day long, but if we fail to organize we’ll waste our life on protest songs.” – Joe Strummer
The Dublin five piece have been touring parts of Ireland, Scandinavia and North America over the past 9 months whiles performing at some of Irelands well known festival such as Electric Picnic, Sea Sessions, Valentia Isle Festival and The Spirit of Folk Festival.
Glaswegian indie rockers Glasvegas have just announced details of their highly anticipated return to Ireland with a show at Whelan’s, Dublin on 9 October 2013
TICKETS – SOLD OUT
€16.35 available online from WAV Tickets [Lo-Call 1890 200 078], prices may vary from other outlets. (50c per ticket service charge applies on phone, internet or creditcard bookings)
Strictly over 18’s, I.D. may be required.
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Silent Disco from 11pm – 2 DJs, just pick the one you like best [Free before 11:30pm, €5 after] plus Late Bar.
NME claimed that “Peter Bruntnell’s records should be taught in schools” and with 9 studio albums under his belt and countless high-profile fans picked up along the way (including Rumer, REM’s Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey, Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner and Son Volt’s Jay Farrar and more recently John Murry)
Critically acclaimed Scottish folk singer, guitarist and songwriter Alasdair Roberts has been described as ‘one of Britain’s most singular and original talents’ (Colin Irwin, fRoots) – evidenced by the release of his most recent album A Wonder Working Stone (Drag City, available on CD and double LP).
“The oddest thing about the Chameleons’ comeback is that they’ve carried on exactly where they left off, with their devoted fanbase still intact (the Verve and the Gallaghers reputedly among its members) and new album Why Call It Anything? picking up their trademark sound as if it were something they’d left in the garage.
Critically-acclaimed Reekus Records firebrands KEITH MOSS AND THE TIGHTROPE WALKERS launch debut album ‘What Eludes You Moves You’ with very special guests NANU NANU on Friday 26th July 2013. Admission €5. Doors 8pm
“The young Dubliner has been collecting plaudits by the bucketload and this taster for his debut album should add a few more notches to his critical bow” – Hot Press
“A curious mixture of Bernard Butler and Loudon Wainwright III, Moss sings songs with titles almost as grandiose as his demeanour…He’s an instinctive performer and someone to keep a judicious eye out for” – Tony Clayton-Lea, The Irish Times
“A thoughtful, intelligent writer of psychedelic pop, he’s a lithe performer of real potential…A voice to listen out for in the future” – Hot Press
“This mesmerizing newcomer is receiving some serious critical acclaim…Keith Moss has the power to inspire a lot of opinions with his recent release. So what is it about this young Irishman that has everyone’s knickers in a knot? Well, he’s a force of nature, with a penchant for wordplay and looks that rival John Mayer’s pouty visage…It’s no wonder that people are developing a fascination with Moss and his music” – In Your Speakers
“The young Irishman seems to have a strange effect on UK critics, as I can’t recall ever seeing an artist receive so many seemingly disparate comparisons…Let me throw in Freedy Johnston and Ron Sexsmith” – MOKB/My Old Kentucky Blog
TICKETS
€5 on the door
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required.
AFTER THE GIG
Whelan’s Indie Club w/ Late Bar from 10:30pm or check out the bands playing The Midnight Hour in the upstairs venue (FREE ENTRY, 12am).
“A work of luminous beauty and rarified poise from the hitherto little-known Holter, Tragedy was inspired conceptually inspired by Euripides’ Hippolytus (what else?). Musically it was a marriage of meditative folk and psychedelic concrete, amorphous and unpredictable – one minute affecting a Bad Seeds-style gothic stomp (‘Try To Make Yourself A Work Of Art’), the next channelling ‘O Superman’ on the perfect pop of ‘Goddess Eyes’.” – FACT Mag #13 Best Album of the Year
“Julia Holter’s Tragedy truly inhabits a world unlike any other. Bits of musique-concrète, noise, drone, dreamy ’80s 4AD medieval-pop and avant-classical are the touchstones for an album centered around Euripides’ Hippolytus. But as academic as that all sounds, Tragedy pulls me into its emotional world as well, just as the curtain falls and the voices trail away at the finale.” – NPR #4 The Best Outer Sound Albums Of 2011
Loud City Song is the new studio recording by Los Angeles based artist Julia Holter, set for release by Domino on August 20th 2013 (August 19th in the rest of the world). The album is Holter’s third full length release in as many years – following 2011’s groundbreaking debut Tragedy and last year’s follow-up, the critically lauded Ekstasis.
Her first studio album proper, Loud City Song is both a continuation and a furthering of the fiercely singular and focused vision displayed by its predecessors, taking as it does Holter’s rare gift for merging high concept, compositional prowess and experimentation with pop sensibility and applying it to a set of even more daringly beautiful arrangements and emotionally resonant songs.
Holter’s artistic process is a ceaseless outpouring. She often conceives, writes and records material intended for numerous records at once – recalling and remoulding various strands of ideas and inspiration as the remarkably vivid worlds and the detailed narratives her records conjure come into focus over time.
The songs that make up Loud City Song have origins that pre-date even 2011’s debut Tragedy – coaxed out and finessed as demos in Holter’s bedroom studio and then finally coalesced into one thrillingly cohesive experience in the latter stages of 2012 by Holter and co-producer Cole Marsden Grief-Neill and an ensemble of Los Angeles musicians. The result is an album of enormous ambition – taking its cues from the likes of Joni Mitchell and the poetry of Frank O’Hara but forging those inspirations into something resolutely unique.
Whilst Holter’s recordings have always been defined by the scope of their musicality – Tragedy saw her malleable, hugely touching voice accompanied by synths, drum machines, cello, saxophone, keyboards, ensemble players, a chorus and more –Loud City Song sees her leave the limits of midi patches and home recording well and truly behind – adding even more intricacy and invention to her unique palette. Rich, fabulously textured and bathed in her own brand of heavenly ambience, it’s a record that simply sounds tremendous and endows her songs with a grandeur and dramatic poise only hinted at previously – perfect given the cinematic nature of the material itself.
For Holter, a single notion or phrase is often enough to inspire an entire record’s worth of material. Just as Tragedy took its core inspiration from one line plucked from Euripides’sHippolytus and became one of the most forward-thinking, emotionally impactful and culturally relevant albums of recent times, Loud City Song also uses a classic literary reference – Colette’s 1944 novella Gigi – as a prism through which Holter is able to explore her own perspective onmodern life. In this instance, she explores her own feelings about the superficial celebrity-obsessed contemporary media–both within her native LA and beyond–through a prism of the tale of the young Gigi being unwittingly groomed for a career as a courtesan in gossipy turn-of-the-century Paris.
“There are lots of things about Gigi that interest me”, explains Holter. “I think I could apply it very generally to feelings I’ve had in the past, growing up in a time and place where everyone is obsessed with celebrity, and watching paparazzi chase after famous people. I actually didn’t have to deal with that much growing up, because I wasn’t surrounded by a Hollywood crowd, and LA is really big, but there still were hints of it, and I think we all see it, in reality television, which I think is horrific and boring. Gigi shares sentiments about things like this being boring, I think. I liked her character a lot and I wanted to do something with the story so it inspired me to think of my experience with LA in comparison to hers with Paris.”
Over the course of the ten songs on Loud City Song Holter projects the story of Gigi on to modern day LA, navigating its strangeness, beauty and madness from a number of perspectives and vantage points in incredibly evocative fashion. “I think the thing about LA is it’s hard to pin down exactly what it is–what it’s like, how it sounds, how it smells”, says Holter, “so when people make music about LA, which a lot of people do, it’s hard to identify particular things about it and it just becomes this great abstract or collage.”
The way Loud City Song captures those intangibles in its feeling, sound and dynamics lies at the very heart of the album’s beauty. It’s not just an album about a city in a two dimensional sense but an album that seems in possession of the very essence of the place itself, an album that extends an invitation not just to listen to it but to inhabit it, to discover it. As such Loud City Songtakes a place in the great, time-honoured tradition of the artist’s fascination with the idea of the city itself – the chaos, romance, corruption, beauty and intense humanity of it all. “The city in the record could be any city really,” explains Holter, “and this media fascination with celebrity is everywhere – inescapable, scary.”
It’s a universal idea for certain but one that particularly resonates in Los Angeles, arguably the epicentre of this fixation and it feels appropriate that Holter, fast becoming one of the other side of the city’s most vital creative forces, is the artist discussing it. “One defining characteristic of LA music-makers might be a higher dose of pure originality than other places”, Holter says whilst pondering the concept of Loud City Song and the relationship of Los Angeles and its artists in general. “People are left to their own devices here a bit more, can be hermits and just do their thing, and they end up making music that might not have a lot of roots, very imaginative things, I think.” For that, and especially to Julia Holter, the rest of the world owes the city an enormous debt of gratitude.
€18.50 – Unitarian Church, Dublin – Nov 17th[BUY NOW]
€16.50 – Whelan’s, Dublin – Nov 19th[BUY NOW]
Advanced tickets available online from WAV Tickets [Lo-Call 1890 200 078] (50c per ticket service charge applies on phone, internet and credit card bookings)
Strictly over 18′s, I.D. may be required.